<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Beautiful Stranger by Illianz</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311816">Beautiful Stranger</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illianz/pseuds/Illianz'>Illianz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>King Falls AM (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I Wrote This On My Phone, M/M, Pining, Self-Indulgent, Troy cannot be this oblivious, at 3 AM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:16:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,473</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28311816</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illianz/pseuds/Illianz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sammy has a huge crush on the law enforcing bean that is Troy Krieghauser and thats OK because we love a pining idiot. Anyways, I really love this ship and could not get it out of my head so all ye who enter here... enjoy!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ben Arnold/Emily Potter, Loretta Krieghauser/Troy Krieghauser, Troy Krieghauser/Sammy Stevens</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lingering</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sammy Stevens has been the stranger in a strange land for a while now. While most people had been very welcoming, there was still the distrust thats expected from such a tiny, close knit town like King Falls. There was no distrust in Troy Kreighauser, just a warm kindness that matched his warm brown eyes. </p><p>When troy had gotten him out of Sweetzer forest that first night in town, Sammy hadn't had much time to think about how attractive he was but he soon came to find it was glaringly obvious. He had known the deputy's eyes were warm but when they caught the morning light, they turned gold. He had known that he was fit, being an officer of the law and all that, but when he saw Troy pick up a ridiculously heavy box from the back of the station, there was no indication of its weight besides the flex of his muscles poorly concealed by his uniform. He had known that he was handsome from passing glances but when Sammy actually looked at him, he saw the 5 o'clock shadow on his strong jaw, the small smile on his lips (thin but oh so expressive), and the way his wavy, rich brown hair fell onto his forehead when he took his hat off. All that combined with those eyes, Sammy found himself unable to really look at Troy without geting stuck that way. </p><p>Sammy has long accepted that some men are just too pretty for this world but it was a surprise when he wanted Troy. He had found that it was often the case that such beautiful men were lacking in any other qualities that Sammy could endear himself to. But Troy had it all.<br/>He was kind and brave and beautiful beyond belief. He had these little, adorable habits like giggling when he thaught something was cute. Like tapping his fingers on any surface he could get his hands on. Like furrowing his brows really hard when hes worried. And cutest if all, him being oblivious to the fact that he possesed all these traits.</p><p>Ben asked him once why he acts different around their "co-best bud", 'I dont know, Ben. Why do you stare at Emily?' It was meant to distract Ben but it very thoroughly answered his question instead. And Ben didn't drop it. 'Wait, wait wait. So you like him? Thats... Dude. Troy?! Married cop Troy?' Sammy may have wanted to curl up in a ball and sink into the floor but he held his ground. 'No, Ben. I think hes very attractive but hes our friend. Emphasis on friend.'<br/>He quickly shot back with, 'you don't look at me like that and I know, we're friends.'<br/>'Maybe you're just not that attractive.'<br/>'Oooh, low blow. Fine we don't have to talk about it but I've got my eyes on you'. He got a groan in reply. </p><p>With Ben in the know about Sammy's little (massive) crush, it was only a matter of time until Troy knew. Of course, Troy being Troy immediately brushed it off as one of Ben's jokes. That is until the next time they went to get breakfast together after a show and Sammy just looked at him, breaking away to order, talk to Ben and eat but resting his eyes on him. He had seen this before but he never thaught about what it could mean. It was easy to ignore, Sammy would stare but managed to look away at the right times and act he hadn't been doing it in the first place. </p><p>While Troy was flattered by this revelation, it was a bit problematic. For one, he was married to Loretta. No way to get around that, so Troy had never thaught about Sammy in that way before. Looking back at him and seeing how satisfied Sammy seemed to be just looking, he resolved to continue ignoring it. The way one ignores the neighbors' loud sex or a sunset you don't have time to appreciate.<br/>So it went on like that for a long while, Sammy quietly appreciating Troy and Troy ignoring it with relative ease. But then it stopped.<br/>Sammy no longer stared at Troy but into the middle distance. And there was a tired vacancy behind his eyes.</p><p>Sammy had learned that Jack was alive, suffering and impossible to save. He was thrown hard into how he felt when Jack first dissapeared. A sinking fear matched with an indignant anger and longing.<br/>While Troy completely understood why Sammy had lost interest, he couldn't help but miss having his attention. He missed knowing he was appreciated. If Loretta loved anyone it was Troy but her love laguage was cute texts and his favorite foods. She didn't spend time admiring him or talking to him for hours and he didn't know how much he wanted that. He didn't realize how much he wanted a beautiful, intelligent, earnest man stare at him like he was the best thing he had ever seen.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reestablishing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>To say that loss is not in some way beautiful is to tell an incredible lie. And Sammy's downward spiral had been beautiful in the way a Shakespearean tragedy is: ridiculously long and sad decorated with pockets of beauty and respite. Troy would be that pocket of beauty and respite for Sammy.</p><p>While the reaction to Jack's death was not incredibly dramatic  Sammy was well and truly broken. He took the informatiom like he had known on some level that he could never be happy. He'd known all along, from the night Jack left him to chase a mystery, to the night the shadows spat out the corpse of the man he had loved.</p><p>He wanted to go to the apartment that wasn't his to get the stuff he didn't want to leave the town he didn't belong in. His first impulse was to run. It always was. But he couldn't, both Troy and Ben were there. They wouldn't let him flee because they loved him. He knew that was a fact no matter how little reason he had given them. </p><p>Troy made all the neccessary calls and soon Jack's body had been taken away. Ben drove him home to get some things before taking him to his place. Sammy was quiet and still. So Ben sat him on the couch (after a few failed attemps to speak with him) and said something about having to make a call.<br/>Sammy stayed like that for weeks, sleeping ridiculous amounts of time and only eating or showering when prompted.</p><p>Ben must have decided he was in over his head because Troy came by, with a kind smile, soft voice, and some chocolate. Sammy wishes for a second that he could sink into Troy and stay there forever but he knows better.<br/>"Hey bud, how you doin'?" He asks as he sits on the homely table parallel to the couch. He must know the answer so Sammy just gives him a look. "You're right, dumb question. How 'bout a hug?" Sammy nods because how could he say no.</p><p>Troy leans across the foot of space between them, arms wrap around him and he feels safe and warm. He weakly returns the hug, letting his head rest of Troy's shoulder. He smells like cheap aftershave and seat leather warmed with the scent belonging to Troy and only Troy. He fact that he probably smells as bad he looks pokes at the back of his mind but it doesn't matter because Sammy can pretend its a year ago. He can pretend he's still invested in the life he has in King Falls and his feelings for Troy are small and harmless. But now his feeble heart has stopped trying to love a ghost and has settled for loving a memory. There's room for Troy now and Sammy knows it can't be a good idea. But his heart had never paid him any mind. </p><p>Troy pulls away just enough to look him in the eyes, 'I know you gotta be hurtin' bad but we're worried for you, man. Ben's been actin' like when Emily got taken and he's...well y'know.' His voice trailed off and Sammy was looking down in shame because he did know. It was just so much easier to ignore everything in favor of sleep. But now hes being forced to acknowledge the pain hes causing others  So he musteres up the energy to speak, 'I know, and I'm sorry Troy, I really am.' His voice was rougher than he expected but his efforts were rewarded with a blinding smile, all teeth and warm eyes. 'Let's start with a shower, k?' Sammy tries smiling back and takes the hand the now upright Troy offers.<br/>Hope is often the uglier side of loss and Sammy is now in possession of it.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>